Wench457

Sadly, I seem to be in the minority that this lovely oil just doesn't work for. The honey myrtle is the only new note for me in this blend, all the others are usually straight winners on me, and so I fully expected to be wowed by this. I've been putting off reviewing it because I can't really put it in words. It's just too - something - for me. In the bath, the oil is just as non-greasy and moisturizing to my skin as the other bath oils I've tried, but I just can't seem to like the scent.

ITB: lovely Awapuhi, with an overlay of Aquatic. I'm rooting for Awapuhi, but Aquatic is favored to drown everything else out on my skin. On: Oooooh, yum! How I adore Awapuhi! Alack, here comes bully Aquatic to beat the crap out of her! But wait! Awapuhi is pulling out a pair of brass knuckles and holding her own! It's a back and forth battle folks! Who will win? Dry: And the winnah is...Awaupuhi! The crowd goes wild! Lovely and light and fresh and wonderful Awapuhi! Every now and then Aquatic raises her head from the mat, but that wonderful Awapuhi just knocks her back down again. Oh, how happy I am that I swapped for a bottle of this one!

Well, when my bottle first arrived I eagerly slathered it on. At which point I got: "I am COGNAC! Tremble as I stab you in the sinuses! ah-HA!" Oh sure, I wanted the lovely smoky wonderfulness that everyone else seemed to get, but it seemed I was doomed to disappointment. I took comfort in the thought that this bottle, at least, would be remarkably easy to swap away. However, experience with BPAL has taught me that some oils, especially the heavier, smokier scents, do mellow quite a bit with aging, so I put the bottle aside for a few months. Oh my. How glad I am that I did. Now I see what all the fuss is about. The cognac has evened out considerably, allowing the softly sweetened vanilla to come through. The incense smoke adds depth and spice, making this a truly amazing scent. The cognac still has just a hint of its original shrillness, but it doesn't overpower the rest of the notes. I think another month or so, and this will make itself a permanent home in my top ten.

In the bottle, this reminds me strongly of Underpants. For me, that's not a good thing. New York cheesecake complete with sour cream topping. Sour, nearly curdled cream. I am nervous. Then I put it on, and immediately got the strong wintergreen scent many people have noted. I am a particular fan of wintergreen, so I find this phase pleasant, but only that. I probably wouldn't keep it that's all I got, as the combination of the wintergreen and cream reminds me a bit of Pepto Bismol. This phase only lasted a short while on me though, perhaps five minutes. The drydown is making me swoon, however. I am surrounded with a fluffy cloud of vanilla cream deliciousness that wafts up to my nose as I move. The saffron is clearly present, and serves to ground the scent with a light muskiness and keep it from going too sweet, without the bitterness that saffron can sometimes have. I want to run up to strangers and say "Sniff me! Don't I smell amazing?!" I will definitely be stocking up on this one before it gets away.

A dark, still winter's night. The cold, white moon shines on frozen ground dusted with silent snow: evergreen, juniper, winterberry holly, bayberry, Viking black chokeberry, hemlock, and yew, ice-rimed, gilded by traditional lunar herbs and flowers. This one really surprised me. I don't usually care for piney, snowy scents, but this is quite lovely. It reminds me of Snow Moon, with that same "snow" note, but where Snow Moon was sharp and chilly, this is softer, with the berries adding a sweet edge which puts it solidly in the win category for me.

Oh, so beautiful! It is, as expected, ripe red pomegranates, dripping juice. Tart, but with an underlying sweetness to lend balance. As it dries, I start to get a hint of clove, and then I get a LOT of clove. I am a spice amper, so ymmv, of course, but on me, this winds up smelling like mulled pomegranate juice with the cloves left in just a bit too long. Even so, it's heartbreakingly beautiful, and I love it. Lasts about four hours on me, but it's so pretty I don't mind reapplying.

I was hesitant over the rose geranium in this, which is a note I don't generally care for. In the bottle, that's about all I get, strong geranium, but theres a sweetness underneath which gives me hope. On, it's all about the honeycomb. I'm thrilled, as I've been longing for a strong honey blend. I definitely get a clear honey note, and the beeswax note of the comb is there as well. On the drydown, the florals and herbs come out a bit, but they still are accompanists to the honeycomb, which is definitely the star. This reminds me quite a bit of Honey Moon, actually.

In the bottle this is extremely green - like freshly chopped green bell peppers. Also definitely an aquatic note, must be that marine accord. On, this initially smells like dirt next to the water, like standing on the bank of a pond, where the soil is moist and crumbly, but not muddy. As it warms up, it smells strongly of roses, but never goes sour, as roses do on me. Checking the notes, this is obviously the peony, which I find smells like roses, but works on me. Lovely! The ultimate drydown is peonies, with a hint of greenery and water. Very nice indeed.

Since I'm still down with the plague I didn't feel like getting dolled up in my usual witch's dress, which involves a corset and much crinoline. My Trick tee from last year's Inquisition and Punkie Night will do nicely. Oh, and the mulled wine ain't hurting either. :hic:

This the first bpal in a while that has knocked me for a loop. Seriously, I am head over heels for this one! Before, I was strongly in the "You want to smell like a pumpkin? But why?" camp. I tried Jack out of curiousity, but that just smelled like I'd poured melted butter over my arm. I then tried last year's Pumpkin #3, thinking the pomegranate might cut through the butter. Nope, just smelled like I'd poured melted butter over a pomegranate. But this, oh this. I was a bit worried over the jasmine tea, as jasmine can go seriously wrong on me. However, the jasmine completely behaves, and this smells like my favorite loose leaf jasmine tea from the local chinese restaurant, with the added fruitiness of the pumpkin adding a bit of sweetness and depth. Not a hint of butter, thank goodness! Once on, the jasmine/pumpkin tea is sweetened further by the pear, and the wine grapes add a bit of muskiness which puts this one over the top for me. Immediate top ten winner!

I weep. Autumn is my favorite time of year, and I love the crisp, dying leaves scent in the air. Alas, on me, the Death of Autumn is all VETI-whodafuckyoulookinatcuzI'llkickyourass-VER. I have a visceral reaction to vertiver, which, let's just say, isn't the good kind. How I hoped my all time favorite note - oud - would trump the dreaded vetiver, but it was not to be. And it never got any better.

I'd also recommend TKO. It's such a lovely, sweet scent, I think a toddler would really like it. And it certainly knocks me out! My son (4) loves when I put Baku on him at bedtime (he calls it his "sweet dreams oil"), and I think the ritual also helps him settle in. Something else to try is find an oil your son really likes, and use that. My daughter loves The Unicorn, so I make her a linen spray from it, which she keeps by her bed.

This is stunning in the bottle. Complex and floral, sweet without being foody, with a hint of spice to make it interesting. And that's what it's like on my skin too - for about five minutes. Then it turns into pure - lotus? What's up with that? Not the bubblegummy lotus, but the powdered drink mix lotus. Stupid skin chemistry ruins another perfectly beautiful scent on me.

I am utterly shocked. I bought this despite the last Milk Moon having turned to curdled baby formula on me, and I just knew it would be awful. I was so wrong. In the bottle this smells exactly like a Pina Colada to me. Exactly. Where I'm getting the pineapple note from, I don't know, but there it is. Once on, it does start to smell a bit off, as the last formulation did, but only for a brief moment, then the milk settles down and it's lovely Pina Colada again, but with flowers added this time, like the Pina Colada is served with tropial flowers adorning it. Lovely. And boy, does it last. I could still smell it faintly on my wrists this morning, 16 hours after applying. I may even need a backup bottle of this one. Go figure.

Chaos Theory III - MCXXXVII In the bottle, this has a light, slightly resiny scent. Once on though, it becomes Cinnamon Cakes with Cream - heavy on the cinnamon. Reminds me quite a bit of a cinnamon scented Monster Bait, in fact. The cinnamon dies down pretty quickly, which is unusual, as cinnamon tends to overpower any blend on me. I'm left with a light, creamy cake scent, with just a hint of cinnamon. Still reminds me of the Monster Baits, and unfortunately, like the Monster Baits, cake and cream are no goes with my skin chemistry.

This is heaven in the bottle. Just my favorite kind of scent, light white florals, with a hint of sweetness. Alas, my skin apparently takes osmanthus, says: "close enough to rose!" and makes soap. No honey, no sugar cane, nothing but "might as well be rose" soapsuds. After about an hour, it settles down somewhat into a beautiful light floral, but still with no hint of the honey I was so looking forward to. After about seven hours, I finally get a hint of honey, but so faint that I have to press my nose to my wrists to smell it. I'll try this one again to see if the soapy stage was just a fluke, because the florals are lovely indeed.

Hi, and welcome! Do you know the notes in White Nile? I did an Internet search, and found lots of folks selling the oil, but couldn't find one listing notes.

The two are completely different as far as notes go, so it really depends on what you like. It was an easy choice for me, since Feu Follet has both jasmine and rose, which when I wear them, vie for who can turn the most foul. Based upon your liking for Fae, I would recommend Glitter over Feu Follet, since Fae and Glitter are both fruity scents. I've never smelled Feu Follet however (see comments on rose and jasmine, above) so do bear that in mind. HTH!

So, sounds like we're looking at vanilla florals? I'd definitely recommend Antique Lace for that.

Samhain '06 Woah, this one is strong on the patchouli, without as much of the apple scent I adore in the 2005 version. On, the patchouli amps all out of control, reminding me of why I don't usually wear scents that contain it. Eventually it settles down a bit, becoming a richly spiced patchouli. Of the two versions, I have to say I prefer the '05, because I just like sweeter scents. This year's is dryer and woodier than last year's, and although very beautiful, it's just not something that I will be able to wear. My best friend smells stunning in patchouli though, so this will go to a loving home. (Edited because punctuation is important.)

True, crisp apples in the bottle. Specifically, the skin of freshly peeled red apples. So why does it turn into stale black tea leaves on me?

This one scared me in the bottle. A true, rich and creamy caramel scent, buttery and delicious. Unfortunately, I have had very bad luck with butter scents. On, the butter initially starts to amp out of control, but is quickly tempered by the crisp clean apple. After a while, the apple fades down, but the caramel remains, and for a wonder, behaves itself. This is indeed very foody, and not as strong on the apple on me as I had hoped, but a caramel scent that I can actually wear is definitely a keeper.

Oh my. I had absolutely no hope that this one would work on me at all. But I just couldn't resist a "Black Moon Rising" set, and am I ever glad I couldn't. I also get the cola note that others have reported in the bottle, plus a hint of patchouli, but not patchouli that makes me think of unwashed hippies. This is suave and urbane patchouli that sidles up to you in a bar and buys you a drink before you even realize it. On it is just yummy. The black amber is not nearly so scary as I had feared, it's smooth and warm. This oil reminds me a lot of Snake Charmer, as though they might be cousins. It's very much a unisex scent on me - not overly masculine at all. The ultimate drydown is warm and almost like a rich, slightly sweet vanilla drizzled in amber, with just a hint of earthy patchouli to balance. Bravo, Tedwin, bravo.

Here's one I discovered by accident, and it's portable. Yardley of London's Aloe and Cucumber lotion. For some reason, it just seems to cancel out whatever BPAL I'm wearing. It's a very light scent itself, so I often just apply the next oil over it, but if I want to make sure it's all gone, a wash with soap and water gets rid of the Yardley's scent. Of course, it could just be my wonky skin chemistry, so YMMV.

Just off the top of my head, I'd recommend Dorian (lurvely vanilla-tea) Bengal (spiced honey) and possibly Antique Lace, which although it does have some floral notes to it, is more like a dried potpourri of flowers that has been drenched in vanilla on me. YMMV, of course.